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Singer, musician and actor Peter Tork from The Monkees has died. He was 77.

Tork appeared in the 1966-1968 NBC-TV comedy series The Monkees, playing a clueless, yet likable version of himself. In real life, Tork was a smart, accomplished musician, singer and songwriter, who wrote and co-wrote songs, some of which were contributed to the series, including “For Pete’s Sake,” “No Time” and “Goin’ Down.” Tork played bass guitar and keyboard and since 1986, had performed in various concert reunions with fellow-Monkees band members David ‘Davy’ Jones, Micky Dolenz and Michael ‘Mike’ Nesmith. Tork was also known for his folk and blues music, having played in the band Shoe Suede Blues.

Besides starring in The Monkees, Tork also made appearances in other TV series’, including Wings, The King of Queens and played Topanga Lawrence’s father in Boy Meets World.

Tork was the oldest member of The Monkees, having just celebrated his birthday on February 13th. Davy Jones, the youngest band member (at age 66), died February 29, 2012 of a severe heart attack.

Peter Tork is survived by his wife Pamela, two siblings and his three children from previous marriages: daughters Hallie Tork, Erica Tork and son Ivan Iannoli.

Tork acting in The Monkees:

One of the songs Tork co-wrote, which appeared on The Monkees TV show:

One of my first childhood memories was at age three-and-a-half years, watching reruns of the comedy series The Monkees. 🎭📺 I soon developed my first celebrity crush on Monkees band member David ‘Davy’ Jones, the cute, short one. 😍 The TV show also led me to become a lifelong admirer of the band–which also includes drummer Micky Dolenz and guitarists Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork–and of their music. Watching all four men perform, be it together on television, or as a duo or trio in concert, still brings back so many happy memories.

Therefore, on February 29, 2012, when I friend told me Davy had died from a severe heart attack, I was overcome with sadness. 😭 I perceived Davy as like an old friend from my childhood, who made me laugh at his funny antics on The Monkees and who made me smile whenever he sang.

A memory I will never forget came seven months before Davy’s death. I had an opportunity to meet him backstage after The Monkees’s July 2011 concert at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif. That evening, I literally felt like Marcia Brady the day she met Davy in the 1971 Brady Bunch episode “Getting Davy Jones.” 😊

Like many other music fans, I had always dreamed about meeting my favorite band. I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to meet Davy just before he died. ☹️ His music will live on forever and I will cherish this candid memory for as long as I live. ❤️

I became familiar with this song as a child, when I first watched a rerun of the Christmas episode of The Monkees TV comedy series. The Christmas carol is a Spanish villancico (according to the Oxford Dictionary: a form of Spanish and Portuguese song with short stanzas and a refrain, originally a folk song, later used in sacred music) and I enjoy listening to it every Christmas. 🎵🎄🎅🏽😀

On Sept. 12, 1966, a new comedy series titled The Monkees premiered on NBC-TV. It starred David (Davy) Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael (Mike) Nesmith and Peter Tork, who were chosen to portray members of a struggling, fictional rock band looking for work.

Jones and Dolenz were already actors when they were hired for the show, while Nesmith and Tork were musicians. Eventually, this made-for-television band ultimately became a real-life band, playing their own instruments and taking control of their music. Between 1966 and 1967, The Monkees albums both outsold the Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.

Currently, Dolenz and Tork are on tour promoting the band’s 12th album, Good Times. Nesmith will join them for two concert dates in Arizona, as well as the one at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 16. Nesmith is currently writing a book, which will be released in 2017.

🎤🎸 🎶 🎹

I’ve always liked the song “For Pete’s Sake” by The Monkees. Peter Tork wrote this tune during the comedy series’s heyday. Micky Dolenz performs lead vocals on the recorded version, but Peter now takes the reins whenever the song is performed in concert.

The lyrics, “We were born to love one another, this is something we all need,” pretty much resonates with what’s been happening in the world today. 😦 We need to see less hate and seek more love and peace.

It was five years ago today when I met my favorite band (well, 3 out of its 4 members), The Monkees. It was an exciting concert in such a beautiful setting, Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif. However, that night was also very nerve-racking for me because I have loved this band since I was 3.5-years-old. I met Peter and took a photo with him. I was then able to say hello to Micky and ask for a photo with him, as well. But when it came time to meet Davy, well, I couldn’t talk to him other than to say “hello.” I guess you can say I was having a Marcia Brady moment that night. 😉

This day was one of the most happiest moments in my life. I’ve never been starstruck before; however, this was a different situation because these were the same guys who made me laugh and sing along to their songs as I watched reruns of The Monkees TV series. Their show was one of my earliest TV memories and the band has always been an inspiration to me…from then and until now. And for that, I say, “Thank you!” ❤